People

A Mohican Village, Kaunameek was located on the banks of the Kinderhook Creek at the west end of New Lebanon. The Kaunameek Village is the beginning of the history of New Lebanon.

In 1710 the mayor of Albany, New York, presented four American Indian chiefs at the court of Queen Anne in London. Along with their visit to Buckingham Palace, Etow Oh Koam, chief of the Mohican Nation was one of the four kings.

The Four Kings travelled to England to petition the Queen for military support against the French forces in Canada, which were hostile to there people as a result of the failure of the initial attempt to invade Montreal in support of the English in their war against France. The Chiefs also requested a missionary be sent to spread the word of the gospel among their people. Both requests were ultimately granted by Queen Anne.

Colonist began to migrate to the area after the French and Indian war in the 1760's. The Stockbridge Mohicans sold the lands that became New Canaan or the Kings District to a group from Connecticut. A second sale of the thermal mineral springs lands at Kaunaumeek was made to Charles Goodrich who was also from Connecticut. It was through these two land transactions that the early colonists from Massachusetts and Connecticut began to move into the New Lebanon area.